Occupational Therapist

Livewell Southwest; West Alvington; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 36,000; Part time

Job summary

Livewell Southwest is recruiting a Senior Occupational Therapist to join the community rehabilitation team based at South Hams Hospital and covering surrounding areas. The role focuses on discharge from hospital, long-term condition management and maintaining independence for patients in the community.

The successful candidate will bring broad clinical expertise across musculoskeletal, neurology, respiratory and elderly rehabilitation, and will supervise junior staff while working within a

Qualifications

• Registered Occupational Therapist with HCPC registration.
• Experience in community rehabilitation and discharge planning.
• Experience supervising junior staff and students.

Responsibilities

• Undertake autonomous clinical duties with professional accountability within the MDT.
• Assess patients with diverse physical, cognitive and behavioural needs and develop evidence-based treatment plans.
• Deliver Occupational Therapy interventions for complex cases in community and intermediate care settings.
• Lead and supervise Band 4 and Band 3 support workers and contribute to supervision and training.

Skills

Communication

Clinical autonomy

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Problem solving

Elderly rehabilitation

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

HCPC Registration

Masters degree (preferred)

Job description

24 hours per week. An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Occupational Therapist, with diverse clinical skills to join our community rehabilitation team. Based at South Hams Hospital and covering the surrounding area, we provide a patient-focused approach to supporting discharge from hospital, long term condition management, maximising independence, end of life care and preventing hospital admission. Therapy intervention can be on a one-to-one basis or within the therapy groups run by the service.

The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator, competent in a wide range of clinical areas, including musculoskeletal, neurology, respiratory, orthopaedics and elderly rehabilitation.

They will demonstrate flexible problem-solving skills, working autonomously or with other team colleagues. eg, Physio therapists, Speech & Language Therapists, Social Care and Support Workers.

We are a service with a strong emphasis on evidence-based practice, in-service training, individual performance review and personal development planning. We provide excellent support through regular line-management meetings, post-graduate education and practice supervision.

The team benefits from close working relationships within this local hospital where the wider MDT members are also based, eg; Long Term Condition Matron, Specialist Nurses, District Nurses and Social Care Colleagues.

Note: This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Main duties of the job

Undertakes all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner, including professional and legal accountability, and managing clinical risks for all aspects of own work. Most aspects of work will involve delivery of the care as part of the multidisciplinary team.

To undertake a therapeutic approach to assessment of patients with diverse or complex physical, psychological, cognitive and behavioural conditions in order to provide and accurate diagnosis and prognosis. To formulate and deliver an individualised treatment plan, including where necessary, manual therapy techniques, therapeutic handling, patient and family education, and ordering and provision of equipment and small minor adaptations, and reviewing in a timely manner, or referring to appropriate agencies to support where an adaptation falls out of our service remit.

The post holder will supervise Band 4 and Band 3 support workers. Access advice and support from senior Occupational Therapists is available if required.

Undertake evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and teams clinical practice.

Supervise, educate and assess the performance of Occupational Therapy Students. Working with universities to ensure the standard of practice and teaching meets the standards by degree level qualification.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.

All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

Manage a complex caseload ofpatients within community and intermediate care settings, undertakingcomprehensive assessments, formulating diagnoses, and developing evidence-basedtreatment and rehabilitation plans.

Deliver high-quality OccupationalTherapy interventions to patients with complex physical, cognitive,psychological and social needs.

Utilise advanced clinicalreasoning and problem-solving skills to support safe discharge planning,rehabilitation and long-term management.

Assess for, prescribe and arrangeappropriate equipment, assistive technology and minor adaptations to maximiseindependence and safety.

Work collaboratively withmultidisciplinary and multi-agency partners to coordinate patient-centred care.

Provide specialist OccupationalTherapy advice and consultation to colleagues, patients, carers and partnerorganisations.

Assess mental capacity, obtaininformed consent and work within relevant legal frameworks, including theMental Capacity Act, safeguarding legislation and confidentiality requirements.

Lead and contribute to complexcase discussions, multidisciplinary meetings and patient reviews.

Leadership and Professional Responsibilities

Provide clinical leadership,supervision, support and mentorship to junior Occupational Therapists, supportworkers and students.

Participate in recruitment,induction, appraisal, performance management and workforce developmentactivities.

Lead by example in maintainingprofessional standards, evidence-based practice and compliance with HCPC andprofessional body requirements.

Deliver formal and informaltraining to colleagues, students and members of the multidisciplinary team.

Contribute to servicedevelopment, quality improvement initiatives, audits, research andimplementation of best practice guidance.

Service Development and Governance

Support the development andimplementation of local policies, procedures and service improvements.

Maintain accurate and timelyclinical records in accordance with organisational and professional standards.

Monitor and evaluate serviceoutcomes using audit, outcome measures and evidence-based practice.

Promote a culture of clinicalgovernance, risk management and continuous improvement.

Represent the service locally,regionally and nationally as required.

Organisational Responsibilities

Effectively prioritise and manageworkload, balancing clinical, supervisory and professional responsibilities.

Support operational management ofthe team, including workload coordination and prioritisation.

Contribute to service deliveryplanning and resource management.

Ensure compliance withorganisational policies, health and safety procedures and incident reportingrequirements.

Physical, Emotional and Working Conditions

Undertake physically demandingclinical activities including patient handling, mobility assistance, transferpractice and equipment use.

Manage emotionally challengingsituations involving serious illness, disability, deterioration, end-of-lifecare, bereavement and safeguarding concerns.

Frequently work with patientsexperiencing communication difficulties, cognitive impairment, distress orchallenging behaviour.

Work within a variety ofcommunity environments with occasional exposure to unpleasant conditions,bodily fluids, infectious diseases and verbal or physical aggression.

Support coordination andprioritisation of team workload.

Assist the multidisciplinary teamto establish patient-centred goals and rehabilitation plans.

Ensure discharge planning andoutcome reporting clearly reflects patient progress, treatment provided andfuture recommendations.

Provide day-to-day clinicalsupport and guidance to colleagues to ensure safe, effective and responsiveservice delivery

Person Specification

Experience

• Relevant post graduate clinical experience, with relevant post graduate experience in a broad based rotational post across a range of clinical areas.
• Experience of employment in a community-based post.
• Autonomous practitioner with experience of managing a caseload Experience of supervision of junior staff and/or assistants. Experience of teaching
• Previous working at senior level Experience of teaching other professions Management experience

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration.
• Evidence of on-going education and professional development Relevant post graduate education
• Current valid UK driving license
• Recognised qualification in written and spoken English if this is not first language
• Masters degree Membership of relevant Special Interest Group or equivalent Management training

Skills

• Highly specialised skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Ability to be creative and transpose established treatment methods into a home rehab setting.
• Falls and Frailty knowledge

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.